BRAVE | YOUNG JUSTICE [1]

EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE
"If you're happy, I'm happy"

KATHERINE DIDN'T THINK SHE'D EVER EXPERIENCE HEARTBREAK. She thought she'd be lucky and find her perfect someone like her parents had. But, even though she wasn't prepared for heartbreak, she didn't expect it to feel as horrible as it did. It felt like her chest was tearing apart, heart pounding vigorously against her rib cage, restricting her already harsh breaths.

She laid under her patterned covers, trying to hide from the world as she struggled to comprehend what had occurred. Of course Dick hadn't thought of her in that way. They were friends, best friends. Nothing more, nothing less. She was dumb to think anything else could happen.

Katherine focused on her own erratic heartbeat. Katherine had a handful of her shirt clenched into her closed fists as she tried to calm herself. It felt dumb to be so emotional over her friend's decision. He chose the girl he wanted to be with, and that was good. Katherine was glad he could be happy after everything he had gone through in his life. But it didn't make it hurt any less.

Katherine shifted slowly, lifting her head as a loud knock appeared against her window. She rubbed her sore eyes with the back of her hands, inhaling shakily and fanning her warm face. With great hesitance, she pulled back her curtains, surprised by the sight of Dick hanging in front of her window via a grappling hook.

"Can we talk?" he asked loudly over the pelting rain.

Katherine couldn't say no and met him on the rooftop. Dick paced back and fourth in front of her, blurting out random words and sounds as he tried to say anything to comfort her. Katherine only watching silently, swallowing her nerves to try and remain compose despite her tear stained cheeks and red eyes.

"I'm sorry," Dick blurted out, finally turning to Katherine. "For... everything."

Katherine immediately shook her head. "Don't be," she said softly. They couldn't make eye contact, both staring at the stone beneath their feet. She took a deep breath, deciding to get everything off her chest. "I-I really like you," she confessed, hugging herself self consciously. "And I thought you liked me too, but it's okay. Zatanna's nice, be with her, I'm happy for you, I promise." Despite her best efforts, she pushed a smile to her lips as she held back tears and her own cries. Dick didn't need to see that, Katherine didn't want to be selfish. And it was true, Zatanna is amazing, and Dick Grayson does deserve to be with her.

Dick felt his heart crack as he noticed the very visible tremble to her voice and quiver to her lips as she struggled to maintain a tough exterior. He opened his mouth to protest, reach out in a desperate attempt to comfort her, but she stepped away and shook her head.

The forced smile remained. "It's okay," Katherine said again, continuing to rub her arms in an attempt to comfort herself. "Zatanna's amazing. And if she makes you happy, then I'm happy too."

Liking two people was beyond difficult. Dick desperately wanted to kiss Katherine and assure her that it was all a mistake. That he wanted only her, but the other half of him couldn't let Zatanna go.

"Kat, I can't loose you..." Dick admitted softly, picking at his chipped nails. He struggled to say what he wanted to, desperate to tell Katherine how he felt. It was impossible to find the words to express that though. "Are we good?" he ended up asking. "We're still friends, this doesn't change anything..?" He was desperate for her to agree.

Katherine nodded without question. "Of course."

It broke her heart to agree when deep down she wanted to be more. She wanted to call Dick Grayson's hers, but she was too slow. And she just had to be okay with it. Zatanna was a great person, and Dick deserved someone like that.

Katherine let out an awkward cough, hoping to wrap up the exchange. "I have to go back to my room," she lied. "If Mum or Dad sees I'm not there, they'll flip." She could the walls around her beginning to crumble as the tears struggled to break free, fighting in waves.

Dick noticed, and once again he wanted to hug her and assure her it'll be all right. He opted to stay silent. "Okay, I uh... I'll see you around." And with that, he leaped off the building top, swinging back through Metropolis. Katherine watched him disappeared into the early morning before returning to her room. She immediately fell into her safe place beneath the covers.

Her soft cries returned as she realised she have to settle with seeing the guy she loved be in love with another person. It'll hurt more then the kryptonite did, but if Dick was happy, that's all she cared about.

Her bed dipped slowly and Katherine shakily removed the quilt from her head. Clark couldn't even muster a reassuring smile as she saw his daughter distressed expression. He stayed silent, squeezing her arm gently before pulling her up to sit. He cradled her head against his shoulder, holding her tightly as she sobbed. Clark didn't say anything, merely stayed until Katherine fell asleep in his arms.

Clark slowly lifted his gaze to focus on the large window, watching as Robin's shadow retracted into the darkness of the night. It was wrong to feel angry at a child, especially a kid who felt regret for his actions. So, Superman suppressed his anger and focused purely on his family. He knew he had to make sure Katherine would never experience heartbreak again. He knew he'd protect her from anything and wouldn't stop until his final breath.